Thanks for posting - a lot of good info, I only wish the author had provided reassurance to those of us who may very well have a medical neccessity for inducing. I would never induce for social reasons, but if my baby was at risk, this article did not do much to reassure me about the medical induction techniques.

In my area, everyone starts getting pressure to induce the second they get near their due date, and the "big baby' threat....and of course, the generally leads to a C-section. I think it is important for us all to understand that medical induction is not perfect and we have to really way the risks vs. benefits for each of our specific situations. It makes me wonder what truly are reasons to consider the use of pitocin for labor induction...I'm sure if I was at 42 weeks and my amniotic water levels were low, I'd be open to it.

"In 1978, the FDA advisory committee removed its approval of Pitocin for the elective induction of labor. (The drug has never been approved by the FDA for the use of augmenting labor.) The current Physicians' Desk Reference clearly states that "Pitocin is not indicated for elective induction of labor."

For women who are being pressured into unnecessary inductions--could you use this as a good reason not to be induced, if you don't want to?

"Medical propaganda ops are, in the long run, the most dangerous. They appear to be neutral. They wave no political banners. They claim to be science. For these reasons, they can accomplish the goals of overt fascism without arousing suspicion.” — Jon Rappoport

I like how this article spells out several risks that many CPs just don’t talk about, or downplay, when it comes to inductions - including the increased risk of a c/s.

One issue that is not addressed in the article is when CPs make up medical reasons for inductions, or exaggerate a situation (like low fluid levels based on only one u/s, or one instance of high BP). It’s what happened to me (I was told I was “Pre-pre-eclamptic”) and I’ve come across a number of women on line to whom something along those lines has happened.